desalinization

American  

[dee-sal-uh-nuh-zay-shuhn] / diˌsæl ə nəˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. Chemistry. desalination.

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desalinization Scientific  

/ dē-săl′ə-nĭ-zā′shən /

1. The removal of salt or other chemicals from something, such as seawater or soil. Desalinization can be achieved by means of evaporation, freezing, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrodialysis.

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desalinization Cultural  

1. Any process that removes salt from water.

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Discover More

The term is usually applied to processes that remove salt from seawater to make it available for human consumption and agriculture. Such processes tend to be very expensive.

Explanation

Extracting salt and other minerals from water is desalinization. Desalinization is necessary to make ocean water drinkable. If you think there's a chance you'll get marooned on a desert island someday, you might want to read up on it. Desalinization is the process of removing minerals—and in fact, it often refers to the preparation of soil for planting. If soil is too high in salt, plants won't grow in it. Likewise, water that undergoes desalinization can be used to irrigate food crops. Because of the worldwide shortage of clean water, desalinization is becoming more common; in places where water is too polluted to drink, desalinization and collecting rainwater are the only methods of providing people with safe drinking water.

Example Sentences

But, he added, “when you start talking about taking out desalinization plants, that raises serious questions about compliance with the Laws of International Armed Conflict.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The likeliest first applications will come in the areas of solar desalinization systems or other industrial drying processes, he says.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

He pointed to Tampa Bay, Florida, as an example of where desalinization is used for drinking water and said Gulf Coast communities should collaborate to find ways to safeguard water systems.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2023

“No one is opposed to desalinization or to loading oil and gas carriers. It’s a location problem. The science shows there are much better places to carry out these activities,” he said.

From Washington Times • Mar. 22, 2020

“We have the desalinization machines down by the beach. Mom and Dad are going to stock up, remember?”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman